First of all, an address

Katherine Warden
C/o Dae Duk Plaza 3rd Floor

Avalon Education

Dunsan-Dong 1453

Seo-Gu, Dae-Jeon

Korea 302120

This is my work address because I'm still not sure what my apartment address is. My work address can always be used for packages, but once I figure out my home address, that can be used for letters. Why don't I know my own address, you ask? Well, In Korea there aren't real addresses; there aren't even real street names. Addresses consist of your building name, floor, city, neighborhood, etc. I suppose it makes sense if you REALLY know a city well, but as a foreigner, it gets confusing. We typically get around by major land marks: Time World, Starbucks, McDonalds by the Galleria, things like that, but trying to tell a cab driver where to drive can get tricky. The go to in that situation is to call a friend who's fluent in Korean and put the driver on the phone with her, but that feels a bit ridiculous sometimes.

Other news:
I have moved into my apartment and the internet was installed today! The place is pretty nice, although the left-behind decorations leave much to be desired. There are teddy bear decals permanently stuck around the bathroom, the main room is wallpapered an only mildly pleasant, shiny, purple color, and the shade on the window is a typically-Korean park scene with a lady riding a bicycle, trailing balloons behind her, and a puppy sleeping under a tree. I feel like the place was designed for a six-year-old. Behind the shade, however I have a lovely window with cut and stained glass. It's simple but pretty. All Korean apartments are laid out very much the same. There is a small kitchen with a sink, stove top (no oven), and fridge, awkwardly wedged in somewhere with an extension cord trailing the main room to the nearest outlet. The bathroom is off the kitchen and very small. Koreans don't have showers or baths for the most part. Above the sink, there is a hand-held shower head and to shower you just stand over the drain in the floor. It's very water efficient, but not the relaxing experience of a Western shower. There is a sliding door separating the kitchen from the main room where the bed, desk, and wardrobe are. Then off of the main room is the laundry room/porch area.

Unfortunately, there are no other teachers living in my building, but there is a building with four or five teachers about a block away. In Daejeon, all of the foreigners seem to know each other. It's nice to feel like I have a kind of community here in that way. It really only took one weekend to meet everyone!

Last friday a group of the teachers from my school went out to dinner. I don't know the name of the restaurant, everyone just refers to it as Dominica and Dominico's. Dominica and Dominco are a Korean couple who converted to Catholocisim and, coincidentally, took the same name. They have always been lovely hosts to Avalon teachers, so many of the teachers try to go once or twice per month. We had galbi for dinner there which is delicious! The tables at the restaurant have grills in the middle and they bring you thinly-sliced, marinated piece of beef to roast on the table. You take the various appetizers and kim chi and wrap them up with the beef in pieces of lettuce. It is delicous! We also had egg drop soup which is a kind of soup, egg souffle. That might be my favorite thing I've eaten since I've been here! Over all, the food is good, but I don't really crave any of it. I really just want some cheese that doesn't look like something from a Nickelodeon game show.

Also, they put mayonaise on EVERYTHING. (gross)

I suppose I should write something about soju, the revolting rice-based booze that Koreans drink like water. I really don't have much to say about it, though, except that I plan to avoid it for the remainder of my trip. I didn't drink much of it, but it has so much sugar in in that it's a garunteed headache the next day: best to be avoided completely, I think.

Mallory, Tim and I went to a baseball game last Sunday! Mallory is my friend from Seattle, and Tim is another teacher from the hagwon. The baseball game was fantastic! The Daejeon Eagles lost to the Bears, which was expected, but The Eagles have the BEST cheers in the world so it made up for the loss. The team has a group of girls that are kind of cheerleaders, kind of dancers. They lead the croud in dances to popular K-POP (korean pop) songs. It's really funny, and we, of course, danced along. The field is smaller than American regulation, so it kind of felt like going to a neighborhood baseball game at a public park or something.

Last night, Mallory, Tim and I went to a really amazing bar. After quenching our craving for American food at KFC (biscuits, biscuits, biscuits) Mallory and I ventured to Time World. Walking through Time World feels like Disneyland or Vegas. It's bright enough to be daylight at any given moment, the streets are packed with people, littered with ads, and lined with themed bars of varying architectural styles. We passed by a placed called Ethnic. It looked more like a cave than anything, just an arched entry way leading down underground: a staircase lined with wine bottles and melted candles. At the foot of the staircase, we found a beautiful oasis. Ethnic is a hookah bar and the whole space is very cave like: cement and stone, decorated with an indoor fountain/pond, a tree with twinkle lights and lanterns hanging from it, and lovely pillows strewn everywhere around low tables. You remove your shoes at the entrance and walk barefooted around the serene space. It's dark and exotic with elephants and wine glasses painted on the walls. Tim met us there and the three of us enjoyed the quiet jazz music and serene environment, without even noticing the passing time. Ethnic is easily one of my favorite places I've ever been.

I want to write about work, especially about the kids, but I don't think I'm ready to yet. The main thought that's been rolling around in my head is the overwhelming use of external motivation in the Korean school system. Coming from an environment like Spruce Street, I'm sometimes overwhelmed by the different treatment of children and education. It's a bit heartbreaking at times, but I'm also finding plenty of chances to laugh with the kids I'm working with.

Speaking of Spruce Street, I've been keeping in contact with a few of the Spruce Street kids that asked me to email them. Getting their emails has brightened so many moments for me here. I miss them and everyone at home so much, but the little messages, kind words, and chat dates I've had with many of you so far have truly kept me going.